Mastercard® Black Card™ Review

By: Heather Hanks Jul. 24, 2019

The Mastercard® Black Card™ is the best in its class when it comes to airfare redemption. It also provides 1.5% cash back redemption value to help put money back in your account each time you spend . We compared the three luxury cards provided by Mastercard and found the Black Card to be the perfect middle ground to choose. Using a personal card for business can be a great choice, especially if you want to float your business spend and get additional cash back on every purchase.

It boasts the best redemption rates with an affordable annual fee to make it our top pick for best travel card. Plus, you’ll get access to Luxury Card’s 24/7 concierge service to meet all your needs and earn one point for every one dollar spent. If you’re a small business owner or you spend a lot of time in the sky, the Mastercard® Black Card™ is the one for you. Check out our Mastercard® Black Card™ Review below.

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Overall Rating

Card Type:

Credit Card

Annual fee:

$495

Terms and conditions apply.

What is the Mastercard® Black Card™?

The Mastercard Black Card is one of three premium credit cards in the Luxury Card portfolio. If you’ve read our reviews for the Gold and Titanium cards, then you know why we’re a fan. Luxury card offers the best airfare redemption value among its competitors. All three cards come with a 2% airfare redemption value, which is nearly twice as much as other cards. The Mastercard Black Card also has a 1,5% cash back value redemption. You can have your money distributed directly into your bank account or applied to your statement credit.

Here are some key highlights of the Mastercard Black Card:

Stainless steel patented black PVD coated metal card design
2% redemption value for airfare
1.5% cash back redemption value
$495 annual fee for the primary card holder ($195 annual fee for authorized users)
16.49% ongoing APR
Access to Luxury Card’s 24/7 concierge via email, chat or phone
Travel benefits that apply to card holders only, such as free food and drinks, room upgrades and resort/spa credits
Receive $100 toward airline credit annually when you use your card on eligible purchases
Receive a one hundred dollar ($100) automatic statement credit for the cost of the Global Entry & TSA Pre✓® Application Credit.
Access to airport lounges through the Priority Pass Select program; you and your guests have free membership to over 1,200 lounges worldwide.
Mastercard World Elite benefits

All of the cards featured in the Luxury Card line have unique card designs. The Mastercard® Black Card™ is made of black-PVD-coated metal. Using your card is easy. It works by allowing you to earn points for each purchase that you make using it. The Mastercard® Black Card™ gives you one point for every dollar you spend. You can use it on flight purchases, hotel rooms, car rentals, dining experiences, and more. With an annual fee of $495, the Mastercard® Black Card™ falls right in the middle of the three Luxury Cards offered. If you need more than the average travel card but don’t want to pay high annual fees, then the Mastercard® Black Card™ is the perfect option.

How Does Mastercard® Black Card™ Work?

The Mastercard Black Card works by allowing you to earn points each time you use it toward qualifying purchases. Use it to book travel-related expenses, such as hotel rooms, flights, car rentals, dining, and more. You’ll get one point for every dollar you spend. These points can be redeemed for rewards. You’ll get 2% airfare redemption that can be used on future flights. This is twice the rate that competitors offer. You’ll also get 1.5% cash back redemption value for the money you spend on your card. This money can be applied to your statement or deposited directly into your bank account.

To redeem your points, go to myluxurycard.com. You can also redeem your points using the 24/7 concierge provided by Luxury Card or by calling the customer service number provided on the back of your card. There are no blackout dates for your earned points. For example, if you have 50,000 points, then you can use this toward $1,000 in airfare credit. You’ll need to earn at least 50 points to redeem airfare purchases.

You can also redeem your points for 1.5% cash back value. You can redeem 5,000 points for $75 that can be applied toward statement credit or deposited directly into your bank account. The more you spend on your card, the more you’ll get rewarded. Points are accrued for all expenses! We recommend that you use your Mastercard Black Card to book flights, hotel rooms, and car rentals so that you get as many points as possible. You will not receive these rewards if you don’t use your card.

There are some fees associated with the card that you should be aware of. For example, the ongoing APR is 16.49% and there is a $495 annual fee for the card. You’ll also have to pay $195 for each authorized user that you add to the account. Keep in mind that the APR rates are based on the Prime Rate. This means that you won’t find much fluctuation between credit card companies. The Mastercard Black Card also has a cash advance fee and a balance transfer fee. However, these charges are standard of most cards. You will more than make up for these fees in benefits if you use your card enough!

Here is the pricing breakdown of the Mastercard Black Card:

Annual fee: $495 ($195 annual fee for authorized users)
Ongoing APR: 16.49%
0% introductory APR for the first fifteen billing cycles following each balance transfer that posts to your account within 45 days of account opening. After that, (and for balance transfers that do not post within 45 days of account opening) your APR will be 16.49%. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate.
Ongoing balance transfer APR: for balances that are posted after the first 15 billing cycles and for balances that don’t post within 45 days of account opening, the APR is 16.49% (this number varies based on Prime Rate)
Balance transfer fee: $5 or 3% of the transfer amount, whichever is more
Foreign transaction fee for US dollars: 0%
Cash advance fee: $10 or 5% of the cash advance amount, whichever is more
Cash advance APR: 26.74% (this number is based on the Prime Rate)

What You’ll Get with Mastercard® Black Card™ ?

All Luxury Cards offered by Mastercard feature a unique card design that sets them apart from other cards as well as each other. For example, the Mastercard Gold Card is made with 24K gold while the Mastercard Titanium Card is made with brushed stainless steel and weigh in at 22 grams. These are the other two cards offered in the Luxury Card line. We like that the Mastercard Black Card is made with a stainless steel front and a carbon back for durability and distinction. If you want a card that doesn’t look like or feel like any other card on the market, then the Mastercard Black Card is it.

One of the best selling features of this card is that it provides 2% airfare redemption value. Other cards only offer 1.5% airfare redemption rates. The Mastercard Black Card also offers 1.5% cash back redemption rates. Most cards only provide a 1% value. We like that you can redeem your points for money that is deposited directly into your account. You can also apply your points toward statement credit. The Mastercard Black Card goes one step further by offering members a $100 annual airline credit that can be used for eligible purchases, such as further travel expenses. You also get a $100 global entry application fee credit.

The Mastercard Luxury Card website has a tool that you can use to estimate your potential earnings. For example, if you spend $1,000 per month on airfare, you’ll get $180 in annual cash back redemptions or $240 in annual airfare redemption. If you spend $2,000, then you’ll get $360 in cash back or $480 in airfare redemption. Along with these great rates, Luxury Card offers exclusive travel benefits to its members. These include free food and drinks, room upgrades when available, and credit toward resorts and spas. You’ll also enjoy a quarterly publication of a Luxury Card exclusive magazine that discusses travels, vacation properties, real estate and more.

Here are some perks of the Mastercard® Black Card™:

24/7 concierge service available via phone, chat or email

2% airfare redemption value for flights

1.5% cash back redemption value for eligible purchases

Stainless steel black card front and carbon back for unique design

$100 in annual credit toward airline flights and other qualifying purchases

$100 in global entry application fee credit

The Mastercard® Black Card™ : Pros and Cons

Like every card, the Mastercard Black Card comes with a list of good and bad. Everyone likes the sound of 2% airfare redemption rates, but not everyone wants to pay $495 per year for these benefits. This doesn’t include the additional $195 for every authorized user added to the account. The Mastercard Black Card would be a great card for a semi-professional traveler. If you spend more time in the air than most, then you’ll more than make up for the annual fee. There is not much you can do about the APR, which is influenced by the Prime Rate.

Here is what we like and don’t like about the Mastercard Black Card:

Mastercard® Black Card™ PROS

There is no foreign transaction fee for US dollars
2% airfare redemption rate is best among competing cards
1.5% cash back that can be directly deposited into your bank account or applied as statement credit
Special member rewards such as free room upgrades when available, free food and drinks, and credit toward spas and resorts
$100 annual credit for airline flights and other eligible purchases
$100 global entry application fee credit
24/7 concierge via phone, email and chat (they can tell you about special events that you qualify for)
Online access to your account
Stainless steel black card front design with carbon back for a unique look and feel
Access to quarterly members only Luxury Card magazine
Automatic enrollment in a Luxury Card gift program

Mastercard® Black Card™ CONS

There is a $495 annual fee charge, which is higher than most annual fees. Keep in mind that you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck. The Mastercard Black Card offers the highest airfare redemption rate among travel cards. It also offers a 1.5% cash back value. There are plenty of chances to earn your money back!
You are responsible for the $195 annual fee for each authorized user. Having an authorized user added to your account is great, mostly for them. You might not be as inclined to let someone else become an authorized user on your account if you are responsible for paying their way. If this is an issue, you could always work something out with your authorized users and ask to have them cover this annual fee. It’s a small price for them to pay if they want to benefit from using your account! However, if you’re using the Mastercard Black Card for business purposes, then you may have to pay for this fee yourself.

Conclusion

The above review on the Mastercard Black Card is based on the opinion of Creditnervana. We reviewed three Luxury Cards from the Mastercard brand. The Mastercard Black Card is the middle of the road card that gives you plenty of travel rewards with an affordable annual fee. We recommend the black card if you fly more than most people and want to earn the best redemption rates. There is a $495 annual fee associated with the card, but you’ll be able to make this back easily by charging your flight, hotel room, rental car, and more to your account.

The black card falls in the middle of three luxury cards offered by Mastercard. Go with the gold card if you’re looking for the most benefits and don’t mind paying a higher annual fee. Go with the titanium card if you’re looking for above-average rewards with a low annual fee. The black card is there for you if you want to get most of the rewards that the gold card offers without paying as much for it, especially if you need something that allows you to earn 2% airfare redemption values. Terms and conditions apply.

All cards offer the Luxury Card 24/7 concierge where you can book travel arrangements and inquire more about what your card offers. You can’t go wrong with any Luxury Card!